Thread: First straight razor, Ralf Aust or Revisor

I am about to purchase my first straight razor. I have done my research. Since it is my first one, it has to be new and I will have it professionally honed. Out of many razors I have narrowed it down to two, but I am having a hard time to decide which one to get.
It is either going to be Revisor 6-0035 or Ralf Aust Snakewood French Point Worked Spine. I like the look of both and don't mind the higher price of Ralf Aust. So it is down to quality. Which one would you get?
For the strop, most likely I'll get Premium IV English Bridle strop from Straight Razor Designs; or 30 Degree Black Latigo Leather strop. I don't believe in getting a crappy strop because I am a beginner and might ruin it. Is there a better one out there for less than $100?
Last but not least, for honing I prefer natural stone. What kind should I get? I am leaning towards Belgian yellow Coticule. Though the new Escher sold by Timber Tools looks like a good stone too. Thanks.

Welcome to the forum. I do not own both razors you are interested in but I have a Revisor. The Revisor I like very much and dealing with Revisor was a pleasant experience. Both he razors you are interested in have a rep for being quality, which through research you already likely know, so i'd say pick the one that you like the looks of best.

My first strop was a 3 inch bridle leather one and worked fine. I don't know if you will ruin it learning how to strop but my money is on you learning how to repair small nicks and cuts. I did from the advice on here and the strop is still serviceable although I now use a different strop.

I do not know if you have any experience honing straight razors but if you do not then it might be better to learn to strop and shave properly first before attempting to learn how to hone a straight razor. If you have experience honing straight razors I can't advise you on naturals as I use synthetic Naniwas mostly.

Bob

A couple of points. I have both a revisor and a ralf aust. They are both very nice looking razors, they both shave well. Here is a big one for you, only my Ralf Aust came truly shave ready. My Revisor was said to be shave ready, but clearly was not. Another bonus for new people to shaving is that SRD includes a free re-hone. New people tend to not get much time on a fresh edge before it needs help.
The strop you are looking at is a fine choice.
As far as a natural hone goes I think it is too soon for a hone. When the time comes, be sure to read the reviews and you will see that there is a lot of people that do not believe that the MST Mueller hone is a finish hone. There are a ton of threads about every natural going and your choices are much broader than those two.
I hope your shave journey is full of satisfaction in a job well done and a ton of incredible close, comfortable, and smooth shaves.

Thanks. I will most likely get the Ralf Aust. And I am not going to worry about the hone for now. As you said it is too early. But since you have both, which one keeps its edge sharp longer? And which one is easier to hone? As for the strop I initially wanted to get the English Bridle from STD but now I am thinking of getting the ROO one instead. Do you have any experience with the ROO?

Roo strops tend to be very thin. As a beginner one false move on a thin stop might prove fatal.

I have no idea on the roo strop. There is no grand difference between the two razors. They are both good quality brands. My recommendation was based solely on the reputation and my experience with the vendors. The razors are equal.

Boy did this post have ymmv and ADs kicking into my head...

Riddle me this - how come razor makers ship razors not fit for shaving, but Lynn shipping tens of thousands of razors without ever a dud? Just sayin'...

Same for any(!) other shop selling additional honing services.

Originally Posted by RobinK

Riddle me this - how come razor makers ship razors not fit for shaving, but Lynn shipping tens of thousands of razors without ever a dud? Just sayin'...

Same for any(!) other shop selling additional honing services.

I have no idea why almost all of the manufactures sell their goods not quite ready for service and they require further service by the end user or the reseller. It seems to be the new standard for the manufactures though. It seems to me that the past advertisements suggest it was not always the way. It make no sense to me as this would be your last chance for inspection and quality control. I think it is a less than perfect business plan, but I am not in that business so there may be a logical explanation, perhaps TI or Dovo or Ralf Aust or Revisor or Wacker would be able to offer an idea. As far as I know the only manufacture offering shave ready from the artisan is Hart, although Hart is more a group of artisans than a manufacture. I am pretty sure that all the artisan makers as in custom makers all deliver shave ready. Why the bigger manufactures have let this aspect of the process go is indeed a good question.

MONEY AND TIME. I agree, they put so much time, material and man hours and cut back on the final touch. That's what we remember not the quality of the razor. Sad